Horse-collar fastener



(No Model.)

SMITH. HORSE COLLAR FASTENER- Pate'nted July 23,1895

$34 Date mug l/Whammy UNI ED STATES PATENT .FFICE.

HORSE-COLLAR FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 543,4 30, dated July23, 1895.

Application filed August 20, 1894:. Serial No. 520,804=- (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALVIN SMITH, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State ofOhio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Horse- CollarFastenin gs, of which the followingis a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide simple, efiicient, and positivemeans for looking the two parts of a horse-collar fastening againstlateral displacement; and the invention consists in the parts andcombination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a preferred form ofcollar-fastening embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a like view of theother section of the fastenmg; Fig.3, abottom view of the two sectionslocked together.

A represents a socket provided with apertures a and slots 0., leadinginto the apertures. B represents a similar socket provided with heads12, adapted to take into the apertures and over the slots. The heads arecarried by a shank of a diameter adapted to take into the slots a. Byslipping the heads into the apertures and then moving one of the socketstransversely the shanks will travel in theslots. The heads being largerthan the slots, it is impossible to disengage one socket from the otheruntil the heads of the lugs register with the apertures a.

To prevent movement of the parts laterally, I provide the sockets withpairs of downwardly-extending ribs C, so placed as to be in line whenthe ends of the collar are brought together. Pivotally mounted betweenone pair of the ribs C is a clip or tongue 0, adapted to swing into aposition between the ribs of the other socket, which are connected by abar a, so placed as to be just clear of the path in which the tongue 0swings. After the sockets have been put together the tongue 0 is swunginto position. (Shown in Fig. 3.) Any lateral movement relatively toeach other will thus be prevented until the tongue is swung from betweenthe ribs of the opposing socket.

The hame-strap passes between the flanges C, over the tongue 0 and underthe bar 0, and holds the tongue in its locking position. The sockets arethus locked against lateral move ment until the hame strap is withdrawn.The bar 0 prevents the passage of the tongue when the strap is in theposition, however loosely it may be buckled,as the space between thepath of travel of the tongue and the bar is less than the thickness ofthe strap. The inner faces of the ribs, C preferably taper inwardly fromtheir lower edges upward, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the slightinaccura cies in fitting the parts will not ,prevent the tongue fromswinging between the flanges. The tongue will serve as a wedge to bringthe sockets in line as it is swinging into position.

I claim as .my invention- 1. The combination, in a horse collarfastening, of a socket, A, embracing one end of the collar; a socket,l3, embracing the other end, downwardly projecting ribs, 0, and atongue, 0, pivotally attached to one socket and adapted to take betweenthe ribs on the other, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in a horse collar fas tening of sockets embracingthe ends of the collar, a downwardly projecting pair of ribs on one ofthe sockets, a bar connecting the ribs, and a tongue pivoted to theother socket and adapted to swing between the ribs and lock them againstlateral displacement, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, in a horse collar fastening, of sockets embracingthe ends of the collar, a downwardly projecting pair of ribs, on one ofthe sockets, tapering inwardly from their lower edges upward, and atongue pivoted on the other socket and adapted to swing between the ribsand lock them against lateral displacement, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

ALVIN SMITH.

Witnesses:

E. K. H001), ARTHUR E. GEORGE.

